CAA NZ CPL Flight Navigation General study guide
CAA NZ CPL Flight Navigation General · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Flight Navigation General is the navigation theory paper a New Zealand commercial pilot candidate sits alongside the other CPL theory subjects. It is aimed at pilots who already hold a private licence or are progressing through an integrated course and who now need to plan and conduct cross-country flights to a commercial standard - not just follow a heading, but build a nav log, work the fuel, interpret the aids and adjust in the air. The CAA NZ CPL Flight Navigation General study guide has 8 sections and about 2,506 words.
01Flight planning and fuel management
This domain tests whether you can build a defensible fuel plan and decide when an alternate or holding fuel is required. CAA NZ expects numbers you can justify, not a single total.
330 words, about 2 min02Dead reckoning and in-flight navigation
This domain tests the wind triangle, the 1-in-60 rule, and conversions between true, magnetic and compass directions. The exam wants a heading you can fly and a track you can prove.
331 words, about 2 min03Radio navigation aids and systems
This domain tests whether you can turn a VOR, DME, NDB or ILS indication into a position and a tracking instruction. The OBS selects the radial - a magnetic bearing from the station.
345 words, about 2 min04GNSS and area navigation (RNAV/PBN)
This domain tests navigation specification knowledge, GNSS integrity, and what the aircraft is actually allowed to fly. PBN is defined by the navigation specification: RNAV 5, RNAV 2, RNAV 1, RNP 1, RNP 2 and RNP AR APCH.
315 words, about 2 min05Meteorology for navigation
This domain tests the weather knowledge that changes a nav log: altimetry, wind, temperature and the synoptic patterns around NZ. QNH is the pressure at sea level; QFE is station pressure; QNE is the standard setting 1013.2 hPa.
307 words, about 2 min06Charts, publications and airspace
This domain tests whether you can find the rule and read the chart before you enter the airspace. AIP New Zealand contains GEN (rules, units, charges), ENR (enroute, airspace, navaids) and AD (aerodromes).
311 words, about 2 min07Mass and balance, performance and navigation logs
This domain tests whether the aircraft is legal and whether the numbers on the nav log survive a change of wind or load. Moment = weight × arm.
288 words, about 1 min08New Zealand and international flight operations
This domain tests the paperwork and procedures surrounding the navigation: flight notification, FIR boundaries, time and customs. Flight plans and SARTIME.
279 words, about 1 min